THE NEW ALBUM
OUT NOW
Includes download of the
“Optimizer” - a complete
audio & visual experience

www.whoismgmt.com

TOURING FOR
FALLS FESTIVAL

16pg CD Booklet: 4/4

MGMT_88883760152_Booklet.indd 1

22/08/13 4:48 PM

This Issue//
Welcome//

Office Jukebox

One of the best parts about music is
when a band who does great things takes
a risk and the result is better than you
could have hoped. From their early EPs
of minimalist ballads and ballsy garage
rock, Big Scary decided to take heed of
their hip hop influences and fuse it into
their second album, Not Art. The result is
an accomplished album that has moved
the band into new sonic territory, ultimately
having to expand their live show to four
members to accommodate the new material.
You can catch the new, supersized Big
Scary on Sat Sep 14 at the UniBar.
This week also caught up with some other
prominent Australian bands that are touring
new material, particularly Violent Soho
with Hungry Ghost (p11) and garage rock
legends The Drones, who return to Adelaide
off the back of I See Seaweed’s release
earlier this year. Now we come to think of it,
with our interviews with touring bands The
Preatures, Jack Carty, local lass Loren Kate
and DIY gallery goalkickers Salad Days Inc,
the only non-Australian band we caught up
with this week is with the British rag tag
dance newcomers Rudimental (p13), who
are descending on Adelaide for their soldout show after dropping their solid debut
album, Home.
Australian music in 2013 is looking pretty
damn solid to us. Pats on backs all round.

“The one thing the
country has over the city
is that you can basically
take a piss anywhere.”

Jimmy Byzantine
Bushwalking – No Enter
(Chapter Music)

Online//
It’s not just the election results that have rocked
the country this week, as Australia now faces
another hurdle – a loss in music festivals. A
number of reports have done the rounds this
week regarding Harvest Festival and Future
Music and their potential cancellation, leaving
our favourite festival period in doubt. Alright
guys, breathe. The good news is that Future
Music will power ahead for 2014, but to keep up
to date with all the rest head to ripitup.com.au.

es
The Dron

Lachlan Aird

Lachlan Aird

The Mixtape//

Page 12

London Grammar – If You
Wait (Dew Process/Universal)

Head to ripitup.com.au for full articles, reviews and more.

THE HOTEL

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Hello Newman, St Morris Sinners , Nobody's Inn

fri 13

46 GROTE ST ADELAIDE | OPPOSITE THE CENTRAL MARKETS | 8231 5471

EMU, Leitmotiv Limbo and Profondo Rosso

sat 14

Postwar and crash

sun 15

Andrew Gallasch and Momoko Soda

mon 16

Spear and Magic Helmet

tues 17

Thunderclaw DJ's

wed 18

Dj Curtis

Happy Hour every Tue & Thu 9:30-10:30pm
Check out the Exeter’s famous Curry Night on the balcony every Wed & Thu!
The Exeter Balcony is available to hire for private parties, launches and more!

One Direction: This Is Us (3D)
The film follows the UK boy band One Direction for a year
as they embark on a world tour. Log on to ripitup.com.
au and enter your details for your chance to win one of
10 double in-season passes to One Direction: This Is Us
(3D). Competition closes at midday on Thu Sep 19.

Hannibal
Before Silence Of The Lambs, before Red Dragon,
Hannibal Lecter was a brilliant psychiatrist in the employ
of the FBI. His task: to help an unusually gifted criminal
profiler, Will Graham, who is haunted by his ability to see
into the minds of serial killers. Starring Mads Mikkelsen
(Casino Royale), Hugh Dancy (Black Hawk Down)
and Laurence Fishburne (CSI, The Matrix), Hannibal is
a story of masterful manipulation that will shock, amaze
and leave you hungry for more. For your chance to win
one of five copies of Hannibal on DVD, log onto ripitup.
com.au and enter your details. Competition closes at
midday on Thu Sep 19.

The Walking Dead Season 3
The Walking Dead, one of the most watched dramas on
US television and an international phenomenon, returns
for another gripping, addictive season. In a desolate and
post-apocalyptic world, Rick Grimes and his band of
survivors continue their desperate struggle against the
horrifying zombie epidemic. The Walking Dead Season
3 is out now and packed full of deleted scenes, extra
features and audio commentaries. We have five copies
on DVD up for grabs so log onto ripitup.com.au and
enter your details for your chance to win. Competition
closes at midday on Thu Sep 19.

Midnight
Juggernauts
Back with their third album Uncanny
Valley after a four-year break between longplayers, the Juggers will launch their latest LP
at the UniBar on Fri Sep 13.

Your fast guide to this week’s best entertainment

Snakadaktal

Parkway Drive

Former triple j Unearthed High winners
Snakadaktal graduated to the big time with
debut album Sleep In The Water. Catch the
Melbourne dream popsters at the Gov on Fri
Sep 13 with Archers and Oisima.

Byron Bay metalcore outfit Parkway
Drive play their first of three shows at
the Gov on Tue Sep 17, as the five-piece
celebrate a decade of decadence.

Speeding along
this week...
For The Fallen Dreams
With a new album ready to drop, Michigan
metalcore band For The Fallen Dreams,
who released Wasted Youth last year, will
kick out the jams at Fowler’s Live on Fri
Sep 13.
Bill Parton Trio
You would have no doubt heard local outfit
the Bill Parton Trio cover songs across
the city. They’ve ditched the covers for
originals for their show at Jive on Fri Sep
13, where the BPT will launch their debut
EP of originals.

OzAsia Festival

Lanie Lane

Tonight Alive

With a focus on Malaysia, the Adelaide
Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival delivers
an enticing program of dance, music,
theatre, film and even food from Fri Sep
13 to Sun Sep 29.

Sydney rockabilly blues and roots singer
Lanie Lane will play the Promethean in
stripped back mode on Fri Sep 13 before
she heads into the studio to record her
second album.

Having recorded with one of Blink-182’s
eternal 14-year-olds and one of those Good
Charlotte twins, Sydney’s Tonight Alive
will deliver pop punk perfection at the Gov
on Mon Sep 16.

Goldstein
Adelaide-based folksters Goldstein will
warm The Wheaty with their suburban
tales on Fri Sep 13.
The Rocket
The brilliant film The Rocket is a mustcatch feel good experience by Aussie
director Kim Mordaunt.

Round She Goes
Fashion Market

Round She Goes is an indoor market
dedicated to women’s fashion.
This event has over 50 different
stallholders selling preloved designer
and vintage fashion, jewellery and
accessories. There will also be a pop
up nail art salon plus giveaways for
shoppers from Yelp Adelaide!

SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER
10am-3pm, entry: $2

German Club Hall
223 Flinders Street
Adelaide SA 5000

www.roundshegoes.com.au

6

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

SERIOUS CASH FOR SERIOUS ARTISTS

1st $2500 / 2nd $1000 / 3rd $500

AEROSOL ART
COMPETITION
Think outside the square, be fresh,
be creative and flex your skills to
become the 2013 King of Canvas!

For entry forms and more information visit
www.onkaparingacity.com/kingofcanvas
Entries close Friday 11 October.

News//

More news at ripitup.com.au.

with Ilona Wallace

Umlaut-happy indie-dance trio RÜFÜS
are on tour, due to hit Fowler’s Live on Fri
Oct 12. Their stellar debut album Atlas was
crafted at two locations: a studio built in a
NSW farmhouse and an underground water
tank. Will the sound survive on stage? Grab
a ticket from Moshtix to check it out.

SEPT 21
They broke into the punk scene in 1976 and despite an impressive number of member
changes, leadman Charlie Harper and friends are still making music. Now at album #24
with XXIV, the UK SUBS have almost achieved their goal of releasing all their records
in alphabetical order. Only two more remain before the group have to reinvent their
album strategy, but it looks like the Subs may be winding down. They’ve declared that
this October will see their last tour of Australia and New Zealand. Get tickets to their
final Adelaide appearance (Enigma Fri Sep 27) through Moshtix.

THE DEEP END, ANGELS OF GUNG HO,
POETRY FOR THE BLIND, E*F*F (BAR 2)
IMMINENT PSYCHOSIS, FRAGMENTA,
EXISTENTIAL DECEPTION,
BLACKWATER (BAR 3)
Describing themselves as “scantily clad in all
manner of leather, fur, studs and armour”,
Australian metal group BARBARIÖN plan
to conquer the Edinburgh Castle on Fri Sep
20. They’ve prepared for this national tour
with a run around Europe and are ready to
f launt Metalman, a single from their new
album Ram The World. Tickets are available
at the door.

SEPT 24
“LAMB OF GOD & MESHUGGAH”
(AFTER CONCERT PARTY)

SEPT 26
ROLO TOMASSI (UK)

SEPT 28
NJE (ALBUM LAUNCH)

OCT 4
“HERE AND NOW FESTIVAL”

OCT 5
STATUES

Neck Minnit
Freshly signed to Hopeless Records, UK’s pop-punk five-piece NECK DEEP are hitting the road. Having toured with Yellowcard, Rise Against and Anberlin, the band are
finally coming to Australia on a headline tour. Due in Adelaide on Sat Nov 30, the band
bring offerings from their new EP A History Of Bad Decisions. Get tickets to the show at
Fowler’s Live through Oztix.

OCT 6
THE ETERNAL

OCT 12
DAVID LIEBE HART BAND (USA)

OCT 17
Local threesome BILL PARTON TRIO
are currently on a national tour planned to
hit Adelaide on Fri Sep 13 at Jive Bar. The
piano rock group have just released a selftitled EP, featuring well-loved tracks Going
Away and Falling For You Again. Joining the
boys on the road are Artist Proof and Nathan
Leigh Jones, with Ash Jones rounding out
the bill in Adelaide.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Good-time guys and the best themed cover band you’ll find on tour, ME FIRST &
THE GIMME GIMMES, are heading back to Australia for a tour. Formed in 1995
from members of various punk and rock groups, The Gimmes so far have nine records to
their name. Their last release had the band singing all their songs in Japanese, and fans
are curious to see what’s next on the list. Previous themes have included R&B, country
and western and Australian tunes. Start practicing your nihongo and we’ll see you at
Fowler’s Live on Thu Oct 10. Tickets are available through Moshtix and Venuetix.

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Be Very Afraid
With their sophomore album, Not Art, being saturated with praise for its honesty, depth
and tenderness, it asserts Big Scary as one of the most innovative and accomplished
duos in Australian music. Rip It Up took some time with drummer/sometimes-vocalist Jo
Symes to chat about the artfulness of Not Art.

S

ymes takes the interview while on
work experience at a Melbourne
“sweet-arse music accounting office”.
This seems like a strange venture for
a hard-working musician who has a headlining
national tour, The Falls Festival and potential
international tours on the horizon.
“It’s just to get me out of hospitality and
think to the long term,” Symes laughs. Don’t
fret though; she isn’t looking to escape music
just yet. “Everything revolves around the music
– that’s the priority. Time-wise it’s music but
money-wise you still have to do a few things
on the side. I’m also thinking about when I’m
40 years old and what I’d do then, seeing as my
only skills apart from music are rolling burritos
and steaming milk.”
Knowing that Symes likes to be prepared
for the future, you would think that she might
have predicted the move into hip hop that Big
Scary has taken with Not Art from its garage
rock origins. However, she sees it as a more
gradual evolution.
“I think every time we release something
there’s a significant change,” Symes muses. “It’s
just because it gets bundled on one output at
one time that the change seems bigger to the
listener than it does to us. Although, I guess the
hip hop thing was deliberate with the production
approach to be more layered and more sampled.”

10

RIPITUPMAGAZINE//RIPITUP.COM.AU

The “hip hop thing” Symes refers to is the
inherent hip hop influence that permeates Not
Art, yet it was still an inspiration for Big Scary’s
lauded 2011 debut LP, Vacation. Symes admits
that the style change is more of a reflection
of what she and Big Scary counterpart, Tom
Iansek, were “into, with a bit more focus and
maturity”. However, they were keen to explore
their love of hip hop a bit more thoroughly.
“This time the main difference is that we
did it ourselves over a stretch of time, rather
than having another engineer and producer
and having an intense two-week recording
process. It happened this way because Tom
had a lightning bolt moment where he realised
how heavily influenced he had been by
these hip hop albums and that it was exactly
the approach that he wanted to take. That
would be why hip hop comes through much
more strongly on Not Art, and much more
deliberately.”
While Symes cites DJ Shadow’s
Endtroducing, Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy and Yeezy and Jay-Z’s Watch
The Throne as influences, she feels as a drummer
she relates more to the “hip hop-meetsrock” style of TV On The Radio. For all the
badassery that helped inspire the album, Not
Art is incredibly polite. The album begins with
a greeting (Hello, My Name Is) and ends with

a farewell (Final Thoughts, With Tom And Jo).
Since the tracks don’t reflect their titles, Symes
reveals that this is an attempt to try and make
the album appear like it should be listened to
from start to finish.
“The thing that was moving us about albums
that we love was that they set a mood. That was
what we were into. While it does come off as
eclectic, which we can’t avoid, we did want it to
be looked at as a work as a whole. The first song
is like, ‘I’m not this, I’m not this, I’m not this’,
and the final song is like, ‘I am this’, so that was
another reason why we chose that tracklist.”
Something else intriguing is that Symes
steps up as a vocalist on Not Art, where she
previously would only act as a backing vocalist
to Iansek’s wavering croons and howls.
“The songs where I’m a bit more at the
forefront, Tom had the song with no melody
and no lyrics. We did also have the beds done,
so I had a bit more of an opportunity to play
the almost finished tracks in my car and sing
along and see what worked before there was
any preconceived melody. It’s also very rare
to get me writing – I’m very lazy – but it
happened nicely twice on the album.”
Another change that Big Scary has
undergone is their genetic make-up for live
performances, turning their duo into a trio
with the addition of a bassist/backing vocalist.
“We were worried,” Symes admits. “We
talked about it for a year beforehand as we were
so happy in our little touring party of Tom
and I, our sound guy and our manager. We’re
little besties on the road. We didn’t want to
introduce anyone and upset the balance. We
put the feelers out when we knew to do justice
to the new stuff we had to get someone else on
stage, especially since we don’t want to play to
backing tracks. We’ve even got a fourth person
for the upcoming tour. There’s no stopping us

Best Fronds
Not Art (somewhat ironically) also
succeeds in having one of the
most striking album artworks of
this year – a hyper-real photograph
of a palm frond. Jo Symes explains
how the image was selected.
“Just down the road from our studio my
brother had his first ever photography
exhibition. It was one of the works on the
wall by another dude. I guess it’s the way
it’s framed; perfectly square and about the
size of a vinyl. It’s great because this leaf –
it’s hyper-realistic but it’s floating in space.
It’s good because it’s ‘not art’. Who’s the
artist? Is it the photographer? Is it nature?
It just fit in with the themes and ideas we
were going for with the title.”

now — we’ve opened the flood gates!”
Expanding the Big Scary party also means
that for old fans who may have seen Big
Scary multiple times over the last few years
(guilty), they can be treated to new versions
of old favourites.
“For some songs that I couldn’t even abide
anymore, by chucking in a bass part at the
right moment, it really lifts the song and
the energy’s back for me on stage and I’m
enjoying it again. There are some songs that
Tom and I still play by ourselves, like Falling
Away and Purple. I think it’s important to
keep that facet still.”
WHO: Big Scary
WHAT: Not Art (Inertia)
WHERE & WHEN: Uni Bar, Sat Sep 14 &
Falls Festival: Lorne, Marion Bay, Byron
Bay, Sun Dec 19 – Fri Jan 3

Interviews //

Ghost Story
Violent Soho have had a massive 12 months. In between
signing with a new label, I Oh You, and releasing both
Neighbour Neighbour and Tinderbox, the boys from
Brisbane have managed to record their third album,
Hungry Ghost.

O

n top of touring with Cloud Nothings, The Bronx,
and performing their own shows across the US, they
have returned to embark on their first Australian
tour in years, and it’s safe to say the band are pretty
pumped about it.
“That’s all we’ve been thinking about since we were overseas,”
guitarist-vocalist James Tidswell says. “We’re Australian, and
we’re so influenced by Australian music and Australian bands
so we just wanted to make sure we were lucky enough to tour at
home. We’re pumped; everything is exactly as we wanted it to
be.”
Spending so much time away from home has made Violent
Soho more appreciative of life back in Brisbane. Ditching offers
to record the album in Sydney, Melbourne and overseas, the
band chose local studio, The Shed, to record the album over five
weeks. The Shed is just a suburb over from where they grew up,
and the comfort and familiarity helped forge the sound they
wanted with no distractions.
“The pre-amps and studio equipment in The Shed are hand
built by the guy that owns it, and everyone involved in it is from
Brisbane. Even all the supplies to make the ceilings were bought
from Bunnings up the road, so that’s pretty cool.”
Bryce Moorhead, who was chosen to produce the album, took
a back-seat approach, allowing the band to experiment with new
ideas with little outside input.
“He’s like Brisbane’s Steve Albini. He doesn’t really butt in
or get in the way, which is exactly why we chose him in the first
place. It also means it took a bit longer, but we wouldn’t have
had it any other way. He has no pre-conceived ideas of what an

oho
Violent S
att
by Ned Ragg

album should sound like, which a lot of people do.”
Hungry Ghost is much more layered and complicated than
anything we’ve heard from Violent Soho, which is testament to
Moorhead giving the boys creative freedom. Proud of the change
in direction, Rip It Up asked Tidswell if he thought fans would be
surprised by the new album.
“I think they might be a little bit surprised. It’s a bit different,
but we were trying to make it different for ourselves. I think what
we recorded was exactly what we wanted to hear back, without
taking into account song structures, or how long it should be and
all that. We just made exactly what we wanted.”
The sound of the record is more slick, and a bit less grungy than
what we’re used too, as the band have found joy in exploring a new
style. There is more attention to hooks and choruses and it’s going
to be a pleasure to watch live, even if it might take them a little bit
of practice.
“We don’t know it back to front, so we can get better at playing
it. We really pushed ourselves in certain areas in learning how to
play some of the songs off the new record, so when you see us play
it first, we might suck at it but we’re gonna get a bit better at it

after some more practice.”
In The Aisle is the first single taken from the upcoming album,
and it’s received just as much attention for the film clip as it has
for the sound. Featuring fellow musician, Dario Western, riding
around naked on a push bike in the streets of Brisbane, the band
went for a ‘less is more’ approach.
“We weren’t really expecting it to get too much attention, it was
just something we didn’t have to do any work for. Dario said it’s one
of the best things he’s ever done and I was thinking my life sucks
and I’m in the band, so it made me take a good look at my attitude.”
On the back of the release of Hungry Ghost, and with their
upcoming Australian tour set to sell out in cities all over the country,
Violent Soho are a band impossible to ignore who deserve to be
named as one of the bands at the forefront of Australian rock.
WHO: Violent Soho
WHAT: Hungry Ghost (I Oh You)
WHERE: Uni Bar
WHEN: Sat Nov 2

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

HARMONY

FRI-20-SEP
FOWLERS
LIVE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT THEDRONES.COM.AU

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

11

Interviews//

Find more interviews online at ripitup.com.au

A Country Practice
Gareth Liddiard has kept us waiting. It’s the end
of a long day of promo for him and evidently
he’s forgotten to make the final phone call to
Rip It Up. When we finally get through to him he
sounds predictably fatigued. He also cuts the
quintessential image you might expect of him;
that of the ascetic bush poet finding peace and
inspiration in the Australian countryside. “I’m at
my home in central Victoria,” he begins. “I’m in my
bus. It’s a fucked up old bus that I turned into a
workspace with a bedroom and an office.” Like any
bush poet, he has a certain way with words.

I

t’s been five years since Liddiard relocated to the
country, and in that time there have been two
Drones albums, a solo album, an All Tomorrow’s
Parties festival curation and lots of touring. If

Liddiard wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of city
life, it didn’t work.
“It hardens you up, the country,” Liddiard muses.
“I’m not scared of the dark and I’m not as squeamish
as I once was. But otherwise it’s the same [as living in
the city] really. I’m still a city boy. You can put the city
boy in the country but you can’t take the city out of the
city boy. The one thing the country has over the city is
that you can basically take a piss anywhere.”
Whatever change the country life may have had on
Liddiard has certainly taken a long time to manifest
itself in The Drones: nearly five years elapsed between
Havilah in 2008 and I See Seaweed earlier this year.
Both Liddiard and drummer Mike Noga released solo
albums in the interim, taking the opportunity to explore
different musical avenues away from The Drones. For
Liddiard, this meant doing “the starkest thing possible”
– an album of lyrical paeans sung over an acoustic guitar.
But when the time came to pen another Drones album,

es
n
o
r
D
e
h
​T
antine
by Jimmy Byz

he decided to go back to what works best.
“We’d done Havilah, which was reasonably
subdued for us. Then I’d done the Strange Tourist
album, which was totally stark and acoustic, the
opposite of what The Drones usually are. So I
was sort of hanging out to get an electric guitar
and just blast the shit out of it.”
The resulting album was I See Seaweed,
released earlier this year to much critical
acclaim, as has become axiomatic of any work
by The Drones. Rarely does a band cut through
so many demographics that it garners feature
album status on youth broadcaster triple j at one
end of the spectrum, and five-star reviews in
broadsheet newspapers at the other. Pondering
on his band’s success, Liddiard wonders what
makes people take notice.
“[Sometimes] I’m surprised they take an
interest, and then some days I’m surprised
at how many people don’t. It’s pretty fucking
weird. I’m in this luxurious position where
say for the next album, people are already
interested to hear it. I mean, you couldn’t ask
for more than that.”
Continuing on the topic of triple j: “If we
looked like Snakadaktal we probably would
get played more, but we look 18 years older
than them. I think someone like Richard
[Kingsmill, triple j Music Director] knows
we’ve got a reputation and he’s got a respect
for us. So there’s that, and that’s what makes
us get a feature album. But then if we were

“If we looked like
Snakadaktal we probably
would vget played more...”
young and hip, that might work in the same way
as that [long-established] respect.”
As for where he goes from here, Liddiard
makes no apology for wanting to spread his
music as far and as widely as possible.
“I always want more people to hear what we
do because you’d be lying if you said you put an
album out so no one heard it. Even if we don’t
see a cent, I’d be happy to sell a million albums.
The thing is,” he pauses, “how do you do that?
We couldn’t go pop, so I think we’ll just keep
making weirder, more interesting, fucked up
music and eventually more people will get
turned onto it.”
Let’s just hope he doesn’t keep us waiting
another five years to hear this weird, interesting,
fucked up music.
WHO: The Drones
WHAT: I See Seaweed (MGM)
WHERE: Fowler’s Live
WHEN: Fri Sep 20

12

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

Beats//
Interviews

The Hackney, London collective
Rudimental are bringing the soul and
feel-good vibes back to dance music and massively.

Their debut, Home, sheltering the hits Feel
The Love, Not Giving In and Waiting All Night,
will go down as one of 2013's defining albums.
Now, following Future Music Festival, the
multicultural quartet – Amir Amor (AKA Amir
Izadkhah), Leon Rolle, Piers Aggett and Kesi
Dryden – are headlining their own sell-out tour.
Izadkhah summarises Rudimental's live show
as "a carnival experience", with nine people on
stage, including a horn section and Home vocalists
Sinead Harnett and Becky Hill. He plays guitar
and bass.
"We're like Sly And The Family Stone, but
in the present age: Sly And The Family Stone,
but with jungle music," Izadkhah laughs in his
deep baritone. These days Izadkhah lives out
of tour buses, but he sounds cheerful enough.
"Now we're sort of expanding a little bit, so we're
getting two buses, but at first there was 14 of us
on one bus!"
Rudimental, initially unleashing Deep In The
Valley in 2011, are typically described as D&B
yet Home harks back to those classic British
albums by Soul II Soul and Massive Attack
that contemporised soul. Most surprising is the
record's prestigious line-up of guest vocalists. A
then relatively unknown Rudimental managed to
secure Emeli Sandé and US femcee Angel Haze.
Izadkhah attributes this not to A&R manoeuvres
but to years of networking. Indeed, prior to
launching Rudimental, the rising producer was
running Major Toms studio – a "hub" that they're
now developing into a label. Izadkhah grew up
with Plan B, the two writing songs together: "He

ntal
e
m
i
d
Ru
e
by Cyclon

actually taught me my first few chords on the
guitar."
Sandé sings on two of Home's songs, having
caught Rudimental early on supporting
Maverick Sabre at Brixton Academy.
"She just told us how much she likes our
records and told us she's a fan and stuff – and we
hooked up. She actually lives around the corner
from the studio."
Haze contacted Rudimental, seeking to
work with them on her upcoming Dirty Gold.
Izadkhah himself produced Hell Could Freeze
with her. "She's a wicked writer," he commends.
However, Home's break-out star has gotta be
the Northern soulster John Newman, whom
Rudimental encountered performing at an
open-mic night in a pub. The posse had already
demoed Feel... with Dryden's "dodgy vocals"
but realised Newman would make it. Feel...
gathered dust while Rudimental issued Spoons
(it apparently "confused" industry types). But,
more worryingly, just before Feel... shot to No.

1 in the UK, Newman had surgery for a benign
brain tumour. "With John, it's like half the time
you don't know if he's being serious or not but,
yeah, he was pretty serious about that one,"
Izadkhah rues. Newman will drop his album
next month, but Rudimental aren't involved –
the singer was determined to self-produce.
"It sounds wicked. He's got a really good
album. I wouldn't be surprised if it does
very well."
Rudimental could potentially become
producers-for-hire, but they're taking things
slowly. They've turned down "insane" remix
offers, Izadkhah admits, for "really serious money
– more money than we've got nearly for our
album advance" – because they want to establish
themselves. Izadkhah worries that Rudimental
"is still a confusing concept for a lot of people – a
band without a singer." What's more, they genrehop – sometimes even within the same song.
Nevertheless, Rudimental have lately cut
material with gangsta rapper The Game and

WHO: Rudimental
WHAT: Home (Warner)
WHERE: HQ
WHEN: Thu Sep 19

Incoming

CD Reviews

Nina Las Vegas

Gold Panda

(ABC Music/Universal)

(Liberator)

AAAA

AAAa

This much-hyped second offering from
triple j’s resident party DJ, Nina Las Vegas,
delivers a walloping 41 tracks of some of the
creamiest party tracks in Las Vegas’ impressive
arsenal. Given the capitalisation that triple
j could harness from NLV’s booming
popularity – they could easily do a Glee and
turn each week’s instalment into a mixtape
if they so desired – yet thankfully are instead
trying to protect the House Party brand.
The first disc starts off hard and fast with
Gesaffelstein’s Pursuit and smooths out by
the end with Chvurches, Tame Impala and
Disclosure to round it out. The second disc is
more of the same, yet with less grunting EDM
and silkier electro. Throwbacks to darker
times, with Riot In Belgium’s La Musique and
Benny Benassi’s cringing Satisfaction, jar the
fluidity of the NLV’s mastery – yet remind
us that House Party exists to help weekend
pre-drinks flow, so we’ll take the kitsch with
the kool.
Lachlan Aird

It’s not often you can hear an album and
immediately envisage yourself in another
city or country, especially within dance
music, a genre that lends itself to repetition
and familiarity. Yet UK producer Gold
Panda’s knack of transporting the listener to
a foreign place is a valuable and unique trait.
In that sense, Half Of Where You Live plays
out less as a whole composition and more as
the album of your own individual dreams.
Gold Panda describes Half Of Where You
Live as a “city album” based on time spent
in Sao Paolo and London. It’s easy to lull
yourself into these thoughts when the
album features titles like Brazil, Enoshima,
and My Father In Hong Kong 1961. More
importantly though is how these tracks not
only reference the sounds of these places,
but maintain the producer’s uniquely
refreshing beat-driven sound. It will urge
you to watch old documentaries and inspire
you to see the world.
Sam Reynolds

Triple J House Party Volume Two

their labelmate Ed Sheeran in Los Angeles.
"We ended up doing a couple of what might
be the singles and three other tracks, which are
sounding amazing, on Game's record," reveals
Izadkhah, adding that the MC has asked
Rudimental to serve as executive producers.
Not that The Game's album will be a de facto
Rudimental project.
"Even though we're giving him a bit of
a Rudimental flavour, it's still hip hop."
Regardless, it isn't an obvious collab.
"It's fun to do out-of-the-box stuff,"
Izadkhah enthuses. Especially with the
folkie Sheeran, a sometime One Direction
songwriter, on board... "It's definitely weird,
but it sounds amazing!"

Half Of Where You Live

Miguel Campbell
Outcross boss and Hot Creations artist, Miguel Campbell, is one of the UK’s most revered
house music players. Campbell, who dropped the LP Back In Flight School on Hot Creations
last year, will play Mr Kim’s on Fri Oct 4 (Labour Day Weekend). Supports: Tom N Tys,
Juddo, Ezee G and Leeroy Brown.

Trus’Me
Prime Numbers founder Trus’me returns to Sugar after a set at the club earlier this year. The
UK DJ and producer behind the recent acclaimed real house album Treat Me Right is a Sugar
favourite with his eclectic taste and passion for digging. Catch the Manchester DJ at Sugar on
Fri Sep 20. Supports: Betty, Zej Burton and Skippy.
RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

There’s no denying the weight behind
The Preatures’ new EP Is This How You
Feel?, with its title track tearing up radio
with such force that this Sydney five-piece
are being launched onto the global stage.
Vocalist and keyboardist Isabella Manfredi
confesses to Rip It Up that they’re trying to
slow things down.

While congratulations are certainly in order
for Is This How You Feel?, Manfredi is conscious
to the dangers of gaining too much too quickly.
"It's scary," Manfredi explains. "We've spoken
to our manager about how we can stop this from
being too big, because we don't want it to do
this. We want it to be natural and progressive.
You can't just put the breaks on. It's hard for
us because we're getting a lot of opportunities
and a lot of interest and we now have to make
choices based on what kind of band we want to
be and where we want to be."
Manfredi's reservations are understandable
considering she didn’t expect the impact of Is
This How You Feel? to be quite so exponentional,

although it was the first song they wrote that she
had a good feeling from.
“I think with songs where there’s an energy
and electricity that it’s something good. You can
feel it when you’re writing it. I suppose for us
that goes away quite quickly after we record it. I
tend to dismiss things quite soon after they get
recorded, although with that song I still enjoyed
listening to it. I think it’s got a lot to do with
the fact that it doesn’t really feel like something
that I’ve done. It’s me singing in a completely
different way. It feels like a character.”
Manfredi finds it hilarious that so many
different blogs, interviewers and fans have
tripped over the title (not Rip It Up, though),
with variations including This Is How You Feel
to Is That How You Feel?. Hopefully the official
remix by LA dance duo Classixx will help drill
that home. Manfredi had mixed emotions at
first about having such a funky flavour being
added to the song, as they originally expected a
fast dance remix.
“When you release a song you put it out for
people to re-interpret however they want, but
the idea of a remix takes that to a whole other
level. They’ve changed the foundation of the

song and put a whole new bass track in. For us,
the bass in the original is the whole groove of
the song.”
Manfredi isn't coy about her initial
reservations toward the remix.
“When I first listened to it, I didn’t get it.
I thought it was really boring and I felt like
they haven’t taken a lot of time with the song.
But then the more I listened to it the more I
got hooked into it. Now I love it. I think it’s
amazing. Actually most of the songs that I really
love I have initial reactions of boredom or dislike
and then I really grow to like them.”
With Is This How You Feel? so successful,
where to next?
"We're demoing for the album at the
moment. We're starting to put out the feelers
to producers and labels here and overseas... In a
perfect world I'd like to see us go into the studio
in February with a release date in April."

has been a collaboration.”
There have been several misconceptions about
this project, with many missing the notion that
this is a collaborative release, separate from the
regular Jack Carty works.
“The vision he [Casual Psychotic] had for the
record’s sounds were incredible and I wouldn’t
have known how to pull them off on my own. I’m
really conscious of not making the same record
over and over, which I guess may not be the best
thing in terms of selling records but it’s definitely
the most important thing in terms of being
artistically fulfilled.”
The last time Carty hit the road was with his
guitarist, friend and folkster in his own right,
Jordan Millar. After 28 dates and thousands of
kilometres in the car, they led a touring life of
listening to music all day and playing music all
night. Eventually they decided to have a few
hours each day where they weren’t surrounded by
music so they began listening to podcasts.
“Jordan was already into a whole bunch of

podcasts and he got me really excited about
them. It’s an amazing thing now that anyone can
broadcast and so we decided to start our own.
The common thread of our podcast is creativity
and the only prerequisites are that we find you
interesting and you’re able to discuss the cyclical
nature of creativity and life.”
With a new LP already recorded, Carty reveals
that he has taken a lot of influences from his
collaboration with Casual Psychotic into this
new album. From 44 songs, down to 14, you can
expect to hear the result in late 2013.
“One of the most important things about
being a musician is making art and not repeating
yourself too much.”

Jack Carty has taken a purposeful
departure away from his folk troubadour
roots, to release an outstanding
collaboration with Sydney producer, Casual
Psychotic. The Predictable Crisis Of
Modern Life enters a new musical realm for
Carty and for the first time he is taking a full
band on tour around Australia in support of
its release.

“I can’t really tell you who he is [Casual
Psychotic] but if you can imagine an Austin
Powers-like international man of mystery, who
the ladies just adore, then that will get you close.
He’s a musical [pauses] genius. In fact he’s one of
the most insanely creative people I have ever met
and have been lucky enough to work with. We
were both really excited about doing something
weird and different from what either of us have
done before and the whole thing from day one

Opening OzAsia Festival this weekend is the gorgeous Yuna
who has worked with Pharrell, played Lollapalooza and just
signed her ﬁrst US record deal. She sings good too. Join
Fringe Beneﬁts for cheap tix to catch Yuna plus a bunch of
other great 2013 OzAsia shows.

Adelaide’s Heyday
A photographer, a dancer and an illustrator recently combined their creative talents to
fund a new space in the west end in a bid to propagate Adelaide’s gallery scene. The
space is called Salad Days Inc, and, like the name suggests, the ethos behind the
two-story building is all about capturing artistic potential.

“

I guess the name stems from the
saying `salad days’, which refers
to the peak of one’s potential, or
someone’s heyday,” explains coowner and illustrator Nick Yap.
“And salad is fresh,” chimes in dancer
Alyshia McKinnon. “And I guess that’s
what we’re about, presenting fresh artwork
and ideas.”
After a happenchance encounter with
an empty building next to the Pancake
Kitchen, Salad Days Inc officially
opened in July. The space serves as a
multidisciplinary one – encompassing
a gallery, a vintage clothing store and a
vegan café all in one.
“We’re really endeavouring to not have
niche groups or cliques here, as we want
to welcome different people and have lots
of different exhibitions going on. Music,
art or live performance, we’re looking
at all kinds of different ways to be a
presentation platform,” McKinnon says.
“So we call it a creative space,” muses
photographer Nicole Wenn. “We just

20

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

want this to be a place that encourages
creativity.”
Salad Days Inc aims to showcase a
diversity of creative practices, featuring
everything from screamo band mixtape
compilations to homeless fundraisers. Yet
perhaps their standout element is their no
hire fee and low commission rate — a rare
thing for the modern day struggling artist
trying to make a break in the current
climate.

“We’re really endeavouring
to not have niche groups or
cliques here.”
“Because of [the no hire fee] we get to
have a bit of artistic control, so we try to
make it a larger, group exhibition to make
it a bit more profitable,” McKinnon says.
“Because we’re all artists I think we all
know what it feels like to be too scared to
show your work,” Wenn adds. “We just

want to encourage people to show art, we
don’t really care if it sells or not. It’s about
having the confidence to show their art.
We help as much as the artist wants us to
help. If we have a group exhibition we’ll
just limit the artists to a wall space. We
won’t tell them how many pieces they are
to have and how to place them on the wall,
we just give them the wall and free rein.”
While the gallery is now booked out for
the year, that isn’t to say that they haven’t
experienced hiccups along the way.
“We’ve had a fairly good go, because
we naturally went to the Council first
for approval before we signed a lease.
You don’t have to do that, but it ended
up being a good move because we had a
30-person limit upstairs and ended up
negotiating it to be 50. We added a few
more fire extinguishers and exit signs and
they let us go for it,” McKinnon explains.
“I think a lot of DIY spaces are actually
really responsible. We naturally wouldn’t
let bad things happen, so I think the
Council kind of needs to trust everyone
a bit more. All of the spaces are not
interested in opening past midnight, they
just want a platform.”
Future aims for Salad Days Inc include
introducing live music, outdoor seating
and curatorial rights to the public walls
surrounding the building.
“We just got approved from Splash
Adelaide for some development on the
street. We’re hoping to get some outdoor
seating, get the bollard moved and

have get some art on the public walls
surrounding the building. Like a gallery
on the street,” McKinnon says.
For now, Salad Days Inc will knuckle
down to prepare for some big exhibition
launches, including a homeless fundraiser
and a `sub-culture’ festival in February
2014.
“We’ve got a skate exhibition coming
up next month, and fundraiser for the
homeless on Sat Sep 21, which is being
curated by a hair colourist at the Parlour.
She’s bringing in all these artists and
fashion industry types, and on the night
there will be physical donations. The day
after we’re going to go around and hand
them out and give [the homeless] free
haircut to create some positive initiative.
“We’re also potentially going to do a bit
of a sub-culture festival in the first two
weeks of February,” McKinnon continues.
“We’ll be bringing together a lot of other
groups like Tooth & Nail and Madmouse
Alley, and my thought is that it will be
utilising what we naturally have here with
a book launch and local artwork. It’ll be a
little bit of profiling about our state.”

Film //
Blue Jasmine
(M)
AAAa
Writer/director Woody
Allen’s latest in his burst
of 70-something creativity
(after last year’s To Rome
With Love) is one of his
best and darkest outings in
years, with Cate Blanchett
outstanding as a character
who owes a little to A
Streetcar Named Desire and
a lot to Woody’s longtime
unease with the rich,
overprivileged and upthemselves. ‘Jasmine’ (Cate)
arrives in San Francisco to
live with her sister Ginger
(Sally Hawkins) and
flashbacks show us what
happened to her marriage to
Manhattan high-flier Hal
(Alec Baldwin), why she’s
‘lowered’ herself to Ginger’s
level and the reasons for her
delusional conversations
with herself. Her presence
disturbs Ginger’s kids, her

Quick Flicks

ex-husband (Andrew Dice
Clay) and her emotional
boyfriend Chili (Bobby
Cannavale, very funny), so
when Jasmine meets the
upmarket Dwight (Peter
Sarsgaard) everyone is keen
to get rid of her, no matter
what fate might have in
store. As star players line
up to appear (for no money)
in Allen’s offerings, this
again has a cast to die for,
including the London-born
Hawkins, the long-disgraced
Clay and Louis CK in an
amusing bit as a dishevelled
Lothario. Then there’s
Blanchett, who’s very fine
indeed, and makes you care
for a woman some out there
might label a snobby bitch.

Opening But
Unrated

Mad Dog Bradley

Paranoia (M)
AAa
Aussie director Robert Luketic (more
comfortable handling lame comedies like
Killers and The Ugly Truth) thinks that this
filming of Joseph Finder’s novel has heavy
socio-political themes and a ‘70s-flavoured
mistrust of faceless corporations, and yet it’s
ultimately too damn dumb to take seriously
even as cheesy Hollywood fluff. Adam
Cassidy (Melbournian Liam Hemsworth)
works in a Manhattan tech business for
scumbag boss Nicholas Wyatt (Gary
Oldman). When he gets himself and his pals
fired, and they get drunk with Wyatt’s money,
Adam is blackmailed by Wyatt (and his
dastardly offsiders, including Australia’s own
Julian McMahon as a goon). Adam’s mission:
to infiltrate the fancy realms of Wyatt’s
nemesis Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford) and
steal the old dude’s newest technology, a
scheme complicated by Adam’s blossoming
friendship with Jock and incessant flirtation
with hurt-before co-worker Emma (Amber
Heard, vaguely good in a ludicrously clichéd
role). Notable for featuring Ford in a part
rejected by Kevin Spacey (and looking as
pissed-off as ever), Luketic’s pic is so pofaced, pretentious and wannabe-sincere that
it’s almost unintentionally funny – almost
– even if Liam’s dull, the script’s hokey and
Oldman’s such a villain that he drinks tea with
an English accent.
Mad Dog Bradley

22

Find more film reviews online at ripitup.com.au

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

White House Down
(M)
AAa
Delayed due to its amazing similarities to
the more ‘serious’ Olympus Has Fallen earlier
this year, this slam-bang actioner from
director/producer Roland Emmerich is more
aware of its sheer preposterousness. John
Cale (Channing Tatum, more amiable than
OHF’s Gerard Butler), a soldier-turnedsecurity sort for the Speaker Of The House
(Richard Jenkins), is rejected from a gig with
the Secret Service (by Maggie Gyllenhaal’s
Finnerty) and takes his icky teen daughter
Emily ( Joey King) on a White House tour
on the same day that terrorists take over
the joint (in OHF they were cliché North
Koreans but here they’re Yank psychos
and military hard-liners furious at the
Presidential decision to pull all troops out of
the Middle East). And you don’t need to see
the trailer or be a Hollywood screenwriter
to predict that Cale and Emily will get split
up, that the terrorists are leering wankers,
that Cale will wind up fighting alongside an
Obama-esque Prez ( Jamie Foxx, more kickass than OHF’s Aaron Eckhart). Ridiculous,
if knowingly so, this survives due to its gags,
including Emmerich’s joke at the expense of
his own infamous Independence Day and the
moment where Foxx complains of getting
baddie blood on his Nikes.
Mad Dog Bradley

Salinger (M)
AAAa
In 1951 JD Salinger published The
Catcher In The Rye, a book that resonated
with a generation of disaffected youths,
revolutionised modern literature, featured
in several high-profile murder cases and
today continues to sell over 250,000 copies
a year. In 1965, he went into near-total
seclusion, shunning the spotlight and much
of society until his death in 2010. Piecing
together interviews with biographers, friends,
fans and celebrities, archive footage and
dramatisations, Shane Salerno (screenwriter
of Savages) passionately sets out to personalise
the mysterious Salinger, recounting his youth,
his writing, and the years he spent avoiding
his fame. Maybe it’s the age, or maybe it’s the
gender, but this little brunette critic has never
understood the reverence that The Catcher In
The Rye is shrouded in, and while Salerno’s
film offers an insight, it is hard-sought, the
non-linear structure requires patience, and
though there are some interesting revelations
about Salinger’s past, and potential future
publications, they’re cheapened by Salerno’s
own pride at being the one to share them.
There is a lot of content here, which is
obviously put together by a genuine fan, but
it is largely (and unsurprisingly) superficial.
The majority of the film is captivating, but it
says more about Salinger’s life than Salerno’s
direction that his story is so watchable.
Kat McCarthy

The third sci-fi film featuring Vin
Diesel’s Riddick, this time simply
called Riddick (M), is from Pitch Black
writer/director David Twohy and also
offers the rebooted Battlestar Galactica’s
Katee Sackhoff and the rebooted Star
Trek’s Karl Urban.
And (gulp!) The Smurfs 2 (G), from the
original’s director Raja Gosnell, has
Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria
again in the flesh and voice actors like
Christina Ricci, Anton Yelchin and,
um, Katy Perry.

Bar 9 Opens City Store
Bar 9 has come a long way since its beginnings as a humble coffee shop on Glen
Osmond Rd, with the eatery nowadays a popular, packed-out Sunday brunch
destination, a specialty coffee supplier and the home to an expansive artisan tea
range. Yet as their reputation grows so do the weekend line-ups, leading the team
to open a second shop in the heart of the city – specifically the old T-Bar site in
Adelaide Central Plaza. With wicker basket lanterns and wonky wooden panels
lining the countertop, there’s an edgy, recycled feel to Bar 9 Central that perfectly
accompanies its kitschy storybook menus. The new shop features the same
breakfast menu as the original store – good news for those people (me) obsessed
with their mushroom ragu – as well as a well-stocked fridge full of piadinas and
treats. Perhaps the best news is that the new store will be open late on Friday
nights, with service running until 9pm. Of course, it goes without saying that the
coffee is spot on, much like the original store. Winners.
WHAT: Bar 9 Central
WHERE: LG15, 100 Rundle Mall, Adelaide
WHEN: Mon – Thu 8.30am – 4pm, Fri 8.30am – 9pm, Sat 9am – 4pm & Sun
11am – 4pm
INFO: bar9.com.au

AB&D Releases Kit &
Kaboodle
McLaren Vale boutique winery Alpha Box & Dice has unveiled its latest
release – the 2011 Kit & Kaboodle. K&K is the best example to date of
AB&D’s ability to craft unique wine blends, with this robust release combining
Cabernet Sauvignon as its base with hints of Shiraz, Grenache and Touriga
Nacional. Tasting notes include long, chewy tannins, with the addition of 38
percent Shiraz adding fleshy red fruit flavours and the Touriga providing sweet
aromatics. Each bottle is 15 percent and costs $25, and is best drunk with beef
teriyaki. To place an order for one of these bad boys, head to
alphaboxdice.com.au.

Yelp Adelaide’s
Pirate Paarghhty
Adelaidians are invited to taste some of
SA’s leading food and beverage brands of
2013 (for free!) with Yelp Adelaide’s Pirate
Paarghhty aboard the historic Popeye. From
5.30pm guests are invited to assemble at the
Torrens Rowing Club in their best pirate

attire to discover some of Adelaide’s
hidden gems, from The Yoghurt Shop’s
berrie-d treasure, to Fakery Bakery’s
pirate loot cupcakes, to Tea For Who’s
Blackbeard brew. Winery Hither &
Yon, Mama’s Pierogi and Birbeck’s
Beer will also be dishing up samples to
participating landlubbers. All donations
raised from the event will go towards
OzHarvest SA, a charity that rescues
and distributes 30,000 meals per month
to over 40 local charities. To secure your
place at the pirate party, create a free
profile on Yelp and RSVP to yelp.com.
au/events. Yaarrrrr.

Though life is
certainly asking you to put
the past aside and leaving
you in a bit of a gap, you
are contented to amble into
the unknown, with a sort of
sublime confidence. Somehow
you know that existence is
essentially good, even if you
won’t understand how until
further down the track.

Gemini
21.05/21.06

The tone at the
moment is pragmatic. Even
though there is plenty of reason
to get hysterical, there’s not
much point. On reflection, it
seems more sound to leave
emotionality to the side for the
moment and focus on what
needs to be done. Your gut feel
is on the money. Trust it.

Cancer
22.06/22.07

The moon is
slowly rising in Libra, at the
start of the week. This gives
you a sense that harmony
will gently assert itself, even
though you may wonder
how. Life keeps moving us to
wholeness and healing, even
when we continue to throw
giant spanners in the works.
Watch it unfold.

Leo
23.07/22.08

Mars is revving you
up, as most everything else is
asking you to slow down. This
clearly feels like you have your
foot on the accelerator and the
brake. Before you overheat,
consider another tack. Be
warmed by your inner fire. You
don’t have to constantly take it
out into action.

Virgo
23.08/22.09

The sun is warming
you up. It is keeping you
strong, centred, integrated
and on track. This is not the
moment for your tendency
to over-think things to run
riot. When you are sure of
yourself, you have a gentle
power that garners great
respect. Starve your faults
and feed your strengths.

24

Other Voices

Libra
23.09/23.10

The rising moon
passes through Libra at the
beginning of the week. The is a
welcome boost of energy, at a
time when everything is a little
too weighted to the practical
for your liking. Venus is also
still with you, again reinforcing
the softer, sweeter things in
life. Travel gently.

Other Voices is a contemplative
installation by Lee Salomone that
explores migration as a physical and
symbolic passage. The artwork is
constructed from wooden and metal
planks belonging to Mediterranean
migrant workers who arrived in
Australia after World War II, of which
Salomone began collecting back in
2007. The planks serve as metaphors
for both the sea voyage and the spiritual
passage that occurred from known to
unknown. The exhibition will officially
open on Sat Sep 21.

Scorpio
24.10/21.11

Though you are
being pushed to perform,
everything in you knows that
it is best to stay with the pace
and direction that your feeling
is dictating. You are not a circus
clown. Those who wish you to
leave your intelligence behind,
to satisfy their frustrated
ambitions, are sorely mistaken.

For one whose
natural inclination is to travel,
in thought or deed, the fact that
the emphasis is presently so
strongly on home, is a big shift.
Jupiter is in Cancer. Jupiter is
about expansion – and Cancer
is everything you ever learnt,
or refused to learn, from your
mother. Return to base.

Disposable cameras are an
unpredictable lost art in a digital and
fast-paced society. In a world of SLRs and
iPhone cameras, the notion of taking a
simple photograph, artistically framing a
single inspiring moment in time, is often
lost. Disposable at Salad Days Inc is an
exhibition aimed at reminding us of the
forgotten joys of disposable film featuring
the works of 13 local photographers: Lana
Adams, Rene Hooft, Chanelle Leslie,
Phebe Rendulic, Nikki Speer, Jade Elliott,
Jonno Revenche, Chris Callaghan, Vera
Ada, Jeremy Gryst, Emma Lucy, Jake
Boylon and Jessie Brakenridge. The
opening party will kick off on Fri Sep 13
from 6pm.

Capricorn
22.12/19.01

Though you like
to play the lonesome cowperson, stoically climbing the
highest mountain, there is
another side to your being that
is full of vulnerability and need.
It makes you tremble to even
think about it. We are a bundle
of paradoxical opposites. It’s
time to own up to yours.

As ambitious as you
might be feeling, life is keeping
the wraps on your energy.
The Virgo sun is smoothing
things out. There will be no
wild shenanigans during this
phase. You may be a little less
grounded than you think you
are – in which case the wisdom
of existence is priceless.

with Miranda Freeman

Aquarius
20.01/18.02

The theme at
present is to move powerfully
towards exploring ways
and means to be yourself.
Sometimes in being so
idealistic, you end up living
everybody else’s dreams and
dramas, leaving yours idling
in the dust. It’s time to ask
yourself whether there’s
another shift to be made.

Pisces
19.02/20.03

Virgo and Pisces
are a good match. Virgo
brings form and structure
to your vastness and gives it
direction. You give flexibility
and feeling to Virgo. This
Virgo sun somehow helps
you to feel more embodied
and more whole. Bring your
love and imagination to
ground – in a good way.

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

Chayni Henri, Rite Price, 2013

Aries
21.03/20.04

Email miranda@ripitup.com.au

Back From The
Colonies
Back From The Colonies is a direct reflection
upon Chayni Henry’s relationship with South
Australia. Born in Elizabeth, Henry moved to
the Northern Territory at a young age and has
found her memories of SA are rather fossilized,
deriving from her formative years, despite many
subsequent visits. Her latest exhibition focuses on

the relationship between the Northern Territory
and South Australia, one that stretches beyond
colonization to co-governance, exploration,
settlement and Indigenous histories.

A distraction from the election was offered on Sat Sep 7
when Honda Presents A Night Of Fashion saw its second
consecutive sold-out year at the Art Gallery Of South
Australia. The Elder Wing, with its opulence and beauty,
was a perfect venue for the 35 Adelaide models who made
the space their runway. After the parade, which featured
designers including Akira, Toni Maticevski, Willow and
Suzy O’Rourke Millinery, was over, guests enjoyed an after
party in the gallery gardens, where cocktails flowed and
CIBO sweets were devoured. Here’s just a few snaps of the
night, with plenty more to be found at ripitup.com.au and
Attitude Magazine’s Facebook.
facebook.com/attitudefashionmagazine

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

25

Reviews //

Find more reviews online at ripitup.com.au

Culture

DVD Reviews

Isolate
Titan View / M / 75 mins

AAa
This almost unknown Australian pic from
writer/director Martyn Park and producer/
star Jacinta John is another homegrown
effort that probably deserves to remain
obscure. In a farmhouse in the middle of
nowhere we meet Scout ( John), a possibly
epileptic and delusional loner who, we
learn from all-over-the-place flashbacks, is
concerned about her dad (Terry Serio) who,
since the accidental (and off-screen) death
of mum, might be dying and/or have killed
himself and/or have followed through on a
suicide pact and/or done something nasty
to Scout (um, spoilers?). However, what
could have been a haunting minimalist
meditation on the gorgeous horror of the
Aussie landscape is undone by the humdrum
sketchiness of it all (just what the heck is
going on, why should we care and why does
Scout have to be so dull and dreary?) and, as
is all too often the case with ocker cinema,
the huge whack of pretension (ie “Ooh,
aren’t we all, like, being so damn deep?”). But
don’t worry because, as with almost every
movie made in this country, no one’s going
to see it anyway.
MDB

Bookshelf

The Descent
James Marriott / Footprint

Another in the ‘Devil’s Advocates’ series,
this study of Neil Marshall’s doom-laden
‘cavers-versus-crawlers’ horror flick has
an extra edge as Marriott died in a car
accident shortly after completing it. So
when he discusses the shocking car crash
that opens Marshall’s film, and the scary
unpredictability and fatefulness of everyday
life, it can’t help but be a tad disturbing.
Often witty (like James Rose’s similar
investigation into the original The Texas
Chain Saw Massacre), especially in the
establishing chapters, Marriott does get a
little bogged down in Freudian and feminist
theory in the middle but then comes back to
list the films that influenced Marshall’s film
and the films it, in turn, inspired, including
the absolutely pointless, connect-the-dots,
roll-out-the-crawlers-one-more-damn-time
sequel The Descent: Part 2.
MDB

26

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

The Loneliest
Planet

Silence In The
House Of God

The Place Beyond
The Pines

Madman / M / 113 mins

Madman / M / 102 mins

Roadshow / MA / 135 mins

AA

AAAa

AAAA

This tediously existential nonsense from
writer/director Julia Loktev has been bizarrely
celebrated as a profound feminist statement,
but make no mistake: it’s codswallop. Alex
(Gael García Bernal) and Nica (Hani
Furstenberg) are on a walking holiday in
Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains (that’s the
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, not the US
state), and we’re left wondering about many
plot points: who the hell are these wankers?
Where exactly are they (Mexico? Mongolia?
The Georgian locations are only named in
the reviews)? And why should we give a stuff
about the danger that intrudes and prompts
an even more pretentious second half, as they
ponder their relationship, the fragile nature of
existence and the whole damn cosmic thing
while walking and walking and walking – and
bloody walking a bit more. At two endless
hours, and with a dire semi-improvised ‘script’,
this is an interminable experience, even though
the two leads do try to make their characters
real, the locations are sometimes striking and
Furstenberg takes her clothes off a bit.

Alex Gibney’s doco follows the
inexhaustible attempts of former students
at St John’s School For The Deaf, sexually
abused by one Father Murphy, to be heard by
the Vatican, which of course refused to listen.
Given voices (by Ethan Hawke and others)
in contemporary interviews, this flashes back
with sometimes disturbing archival footage
and depicts the plight of these children, as
Murphy exploited the fact that they “couldn’t
talk” and were (he said) “slow”, and how,
in one of the first cases of its type, the facts
should have come to light when the victims,
in 1974, first began protesting. But their
claims fell, naturally, on deaf ears, especially
when the Vatican imposed its ‘deny, minimise,
blame’ rule and Murphy’s apologists wheeled
out the ‘Catholic Forgiveness’ card, while
sheltering the priest and allowing him to
keep on abusing kids. Made before the recent
stepping-down of Pope Benedict but losing
nothing because of it, this deeply angering
study has been branded anti-religion by some,
but it sure as hell is not: it’s pro-justice.

Co-writer/director Derek Cianfrance’s
Blue Valentine was a sweatily overrated
attempt at John Cassavetes-ish relationship
drama, but this ambitious follow-up is
something else entirely, a truly epic study
of flawed characters, desperate measures,
strange coincidences and, once again, the
sins of the fathers. A story told in three acts,
we open with a seemingly impassive stunt
motorcyclist named Luke (BV star Ryan
Gosling) realising that he has a baby son
and, hoping to appease unhappy ex Romina
(Eva Mendes), hitting upon a scheme to rob
banks with pal Robin (Ben Mendelsohn,
excellent), before the focus shifts and
instead follows the plight of Avery (Bradley
Cooper), a principled cop whose sudden
celebrity leads to the uncovering of rats in
the ranks. Finally, Cianfrance’s plot turns
once again (perhaps a little too radically for
some), as we take up 15 years later with a
pair of troubled high schoolers desperate to
get high and unknowingly sealing a series of
fates.

MDB

MDB

MDB

Brief Encounter
Arts Projects Australia and State Theatre
have combined forces with Cornwall’s
Kneehigh Theatre Company to present
the UK ensemble’s hit production of
Brief Encounter in Australia beginning
with a run in Adelaide.

Based on Noël Coward's one-act play
Still Life that was later turned into the now
iconic film under the name Brief Encounter,
the stage production is a multi-media
event featuring live actors, musicians, film
footage and puppets as well as a toy train.
“It’s a show that Kneehigh have been
doing on and off for a number of years
now,” English actor Joe Alessi says. “It’s
changed a lot because every time we bring
it back we try and make it even better. It’s
constantly evolving – for instance we used
to have an interval but we don’t now – and
we’ve completely cut some scenes and
tweaked others.
“I’m not saying it was bad before – it’s
had some amazing reviews and the subject
matter about love and how it manifests itself
is something audiences can really relate to
– but it’s just that we always want to bring
something new to it.”
Two Australian actors, Kate Cheel and
Michelle Nightingale, spent much of August
in the UK rehearsing with the company
ahead of the Australian tour.
“They’ve been great,” Alessi says, “and

Stage
si
Joe Ales
tan
by Robert Duns

had both learnt their lines really well before
arriving and even just having two new
actors helps bring a freshness to the play for
the other actors. Kate and Michelle have
brought a whole new energy to their roles.
“It’s given the play a completely new
dynamic and energy and the challenge for
us to meet that new dynamic and spirit,”
he adds.
The work is set at an English train station
in the early ’40s and tells of a married woman
falling completely for another man.
“It really encapsulates that era because
it’s a play about a forbidden love that was
totally against the suburban English way
at that time,” Alessi remarks. “So [in Brief
Encounter] a woman with very strong moral
values is really tested by the conservatism of
that time. Divorce would have been frowned
upon and regarded as scandalous. Remember
the furor when King Edward had to abdicate

because he wanted to marry a divorcee?
That’s how much people were bound by
convention at the time.
“So you couldn’t really set Brief Encounter
in modern times because it just wouldn’t
make any sense,” he continues with a laugh.
“People seem to have affairs all the time now.
“It remains such a classic film and is
one that any fan of film would have seen,”
Alessi suggests. “I was already very familiar
with Brief Encounter but what we do in the
play is not a straight take of the film. It’s
very much an adaptation, even though the
story is still very much the same as the Noël
Coward play.”
WHAT: Brief Encounter
WHERE: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide
Festival Centre
WHEN: Until Sat Sep 28

Fast Times//

Your guide to the student experience

y events, news,
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campus activiti
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GreenRoom Her Majesty’s
Ghost Tour
With Her Majesty’s Theatre celebrating her 100th
birthday last week, GreenRoom, the youth program of
the Adelaide Festival Centre, hosted a special ghost
tour for its members and invited Rip It Up along as
well. While it wasn’t quite on par with The Conjuring
in terms of scare-factor, the tour was certainly
fascinating given the insight and anecdotes that were
shared. Her Maj’s head mechanist, Kelvin, was our
trusty guide, leading the pack of keen ghost spotters
on a full-circle of the theatre – from above and below
the stage to the projection room and dressing rooms.
We saw ‘The Wall’, a space under the stage where
visiting performers, from the (apparently) snobbish
diva Lauren Bacall to Her Maj’s number one fan, Barry
Humphries (who will only perform at the theatre when
he’s in town) scribble their signatures and thanks.
We were also given some insight into how the sets,
chandeliers, fire curtain and trap doors work.

After having a complimentary drink at the Metropolitan
– a pre-show tradition – the group were dead-set on
finding some spooks. The GreenRoom administrators
set the tone with period costumes, although Kelvin
kept the story of how one of the backstage workers
fell to his death on opening night until the end. Kelvin,
who’s worked at the theatre for several decades,
spoke about how people refuse to stay overnight or
alone at the theatre due to people who aren’t there,
breathing and footsteps – although he’s sure that if
there is a ghost, it’s a friendly one.
While there weren’t any taps on shoulders or weeping
from the walls this time, you can’t exactly blame
people for not wanting to hang around after dark
by themselves. For all its beauty, there’s something
unsettling about Her Majesty’s after hours, which has
certainly had an interesting ride since its (somewhat
tragic) opening as the Tivoli to what it is today, with
the GreenRoom guys dredging up newspaper articles
and photos as proof.
Considering that they leave a seat unsold at the back
for the resident ghost to enjoy each show, you can
see why the ghost wouldn’t be too cranky.

How To Join GreenRoom?
If you were a bit bummed out you didn’t know ghost
tours were on offer at Her Majesty’s, then you’re most
likely not a member of GreenRoom, which you needed
to be in order to participate. GreenRoom put on a huge
number of exclusive events for its members, along with
a constant stream of cheap tickets to many of the shows
at the Adelaide Festival Centre put on each year –
including the current OzAsia Festival.
If you want to join GreenRoom to get access to
cheap tickets, artist workshops, competitions, special
events and work experience opportunities head to
adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/greenroom to join. It’s
only $20 for one year, or $30 to two. If you’re a Fringe
Benefits member? Make it $15.

Opinion

By Josh Basford

We No Longer Need To Talk
Well ladies and gentlemen, it appears we ﬁnally no longer need
to talk about Kevin. An uninspired public has delivered exactly
what they said they would and evicted Kevin from the throne
(hopefully) once and for all. With a swing of roughly three
percent seen right around the country, the Labor party now
ﬁnds itself in Opposition because it essentially had a mental
breakdown a la Britney Spears circa 2009. Of course, only a
megalomaniac like KRudd would remain on the backbench
pledging not to contest the leadership. Yeah, because we’ve all
heard that before, haven’t we Kevin?
In other news, the Greens vote receded from what now appears
to be the watermark result of 2010 where they received 11
percent of the vote, back to roughly eight percent; consistent
with their results from the 2004 and 2007 elections. The major
success for the party however is Adam Bandt, who despite
being sidelined from Labor and Liberal preferences managed
to retain the seat of Melbourne. My sources within the Greens
also tell me that we may see Adam Bandt at the helm well
before the next election – which could potentially seriously
revitalise them and help them connect with the young, innercity progressives who are essentially the organic butter for the
Greens quinoa bread.
A host of whack job minor parties will have control of the new
incoming Senate, and we’ll take a closer look at them and how
that will effect the new Parliament next week when its conﬁrmed
who is actually in and who is out. Let me just thank the new and
old gods for Clive Palmer, who will no doubt provide endless
entertainment with his new United Australia party picking up two
Senate seats (he recently accused Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife of
being a Chinese spy: comedy gold). In Adelaide, the only seat
that has changed hands to the Liberals is Hindmarsh, where
Steve Georganas suffered a near eight percent swing against
him. The seat now resides in the hands of Matt Williams.
There’s plenty more to talk about over the next couple of
weeks, but one thing is certain – if you thought the last
Parliament was chaotic and exhausting, something tells me you
ain’t seen nothing yet.

R U OK? Day
Three simple words can make a massive difference to
people who are struggling. The national day to ask the
simple question to ﬁnd out how family and friends are
travelling is Thu Sep 12, but hey, you can ask them any
time. Donations for the campaign help more life-saving
conversations get started as it allows expert support to
be sourced for those who need it.

Studying is a stressful time for anyone, especially as
end of year assignments loom on top of the stress of
work, relationships and cash ﬂow that so many students
encounter. So if you need a breather or can think of
someone who looks like they need a good chat, take
some time and get some things off your chest.
For more information on R U OK? Day head to
ruokday.com

RIPITUPMAGAZINE//RIPITUP.COM.AU

27

Reviews //

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Culture

CD Reviews

CD Of The Week

s
Single
y
with Jimm

Byzantine

Arcade Fire

Rose Windows

Reflektor

Sun Dogs

(Universal)

(Sub Pop/Inertia)

There’s a reason Arcade Fire were so keen to
keep this song under wraps, and a reason they
were so mad when it leaked online last weekend.
Reflektor is like nothing the Montreal group have
done before; an epic, seven-minute disco shock
to the system featuring James Murphy on the
mixing board and David Bowie (supposedly)
on guest vocals. Had Arcade Fire been around
to play at Studio 54, this is what it would have
sounded like. What’s more exciting about
Reflektor is that it’s probably not even the best
track off of Arcade Fire’s forthcoming album.

AAAa

Private Life
Escalator
(Independent)

With a seemingly endless production line of
boy/girl electronic duos in Australia, it was only
a matter of time before one of them turned out
to be the goods. Melbourne’s Private Life might
just be the special brew we were waiting for.
Escalator marks a huge step up for the pair, with
super producer Jean Paul Fung (Last Dinosaurs,
Art Vs. Science) dispensing the synth euphoria
like a pill dealer who’s sampled too much of his
own product. The chorus comes on like that first
hit of ecstasy while Renee Anderson’s husky vocal
soothes you into a blissful comedown.

Sleigh Bells

King Krule
6 Feet Beneath The Moon
(XL/Remote Control)

AAAAa
For a 19-year-old performer, it’s
often hard to stake your claim for
praise in a world where your immediate
contemporaries have another 10 years of
experience, or maybe more, to fall back
on. The things you’ve encountered, the
trials you’ve lived through, can all seem
minor and exaggerated in many ways. But

London artist Archy Marshall, under the
guise of King Krule, provides a gripping
example of how important and influential
a younger perspective can be on 6 Feet
Beneath The Moon, his debut album.
Possibly the most startling and
endearing element of this collection
of songs is the spectrum of influences
noticeable in Marshall’s sound. Producer
Rodaidh McDonald has lovingly
distinguished Marshall’s love of rhythm,
minimalism, and soul, as heard most
notably on A Lizard State. And if you
were negatively partial to early King
Krule recordings, it’s worth sticking with
6 Feet Beneath The Moon to experience the
raw, gritty nature of such a risk-taking
writer.
Ultimately, 19 probably sits as the
perfect age to release an album that
encapsulates the shift in musical
influences throughout one’s teenage
years. Thus, King Krule’s moment is right
now, and there’s no doubt there’ll be
more brilliant moments to come.
Sam Reynolds

Boy oh boy some fabulous things are
coming out of Seattle! What is it about
that place? The climate? The largest
houseboat population outside of Asia?
The meat they put in their hot dogs?
Whatever it is, they are doing something
freakishly right.
Rose Windows are the latest exhibition
of this fine city, with the fresh faced
outfit hitting all the right buttons with
their alternative folk-infused rock. With
intense atmospherics that haunt deep
below your ribcage, these guys have
managed to create something new with
this balance of genres. It is the record of
the chameleon, showing their diversity
as a band capable of so many moods. Sun
Dogs is much more than your average rock
record, with ambient alt ‘60s psychedelia
creating a powerful yet delicate
experience. Picture the entire soundtrack
for a new wave surf documentary and
substitute Rose Windows’ Sun Dogs: a
dream combination. Spend your days
peering through rose coloured windows
‘cause this is a whole new way of seeing
life as we know it. Who let the dogs out?
Sharni Honor

Bitter Rivals
(Liberator)

What initially threatens to be a shocking
pastiche of Kid Rock’s Cowboy explodes into one
of the biggest, boldest and loudest pop singles
of 2013. Bitter Rivals contains all of Sleigh
Bells’ best hallmarks – the thrashy guitars and
crunching hip hop beat have gone nowhere – but
throw in rapped Dickensian lyrics and one of the
most bad ass instrumental outros ever, and what
the New York duo have achieved here surpasses
anything they’ve done before.

Going Swimming
She Hates Sports
(Independent)

Smack bang in the middle of finals footy
season Melbourne’s Going Swimming
have issued a timely warning to the men of
Australia. She Hates Sports is a grainy, growling
garage rocker about the tribulations of home life
with the missus, about finding other things to
talk about than Geelong’s lack of tall options. The
heady mix of wobbly surf guitars and Nicholas
Leggatt’s guttural punk vocal make She Hates
Sports a club song we’ll all be wailing along to in
the change rooms after the final whistle.

AAAAa
What an evening of sweaty boogies and festive
tunes! Every attendee would be lying if they said
they didn’t believe they were of Brazilian decent,
busting out Latino dance moves all night long.
Tinpan Orange saved the day after a last minute
drop out from Hiatus Kaiyote and did a hell of a
job, getting thrown together at the last minute.
Lead vocalist Emily Lubitz was all hair with
her teased fro bouncing up and around on that
platform, with what appeared like a dead white
rabbit draped around her neck. Don’t know how I
felt about that one.
Off with the Oranges and on with the Cats,
you could feel peoples’ excitement shaking their
bones all around you. And out they ran, exploding
into a rambunctious opener with Steal The Light
setting the mood. They always attract such a jolly
crowd. Mums shaking their tail feathers left right
and centre, dads in their Bluesfest shirts throwing
around flailing limbs like inflatable arm waving
tube men. Even little grommets getting tossed in
the air as a sacrifice to the boogie. Everyone was
involved in all the hooplah. It’s gotten to the point

Reviews //
Quick Ones

Miles Kane

French Films

Volcano Choir

Don’t Forget Who You Are

White Orchid

Reprave

(Sony)

(Popfrenzy)

(Jagjaguwar/Inertia)

AAA

AAA

AAAa

The second album from Alex
Turner’s BFF clips along at a breathless
pace. A wonderfully retro rock vibe
runs through the entire album, which
should come as no surprise to those of
you who are familiar with Kane’s work
with The Last Of The Shadow Puppets.
On Don’t Forget Who You Are, Kane
desperately wants to assert himself
as a proper rock’n’roll star, going so
far as to do his best Liam Gallagher
impersonation.
Kane’s nasal delivery combined with
his rollicking bravado proves that he
is more than capable of commanding
an audience, however this LP suffers
from lyrical cliché after lyrical cliché.
It doesn’t exactly detract from the
innocent, mindless fun that Kane is
selling, but it doesn’t do it any favours
either. The brutish cock rock attitude
at the core of Don’t Forget Who You
Are winds up being detrimental to the
overall experience, dumbing it down
to the cheap thrills one would find in a
lad’s mag.
Ryan Lynch

Hailing from Helsinki, French Films
are one Scandinavian act in the limelight
to severely distance themselves from
the rugged ambience usually associated
with music from the region. Their take
on ‘60s-tinged rock’n’roll has a distinctly
nostalgic feel to it, largely based on the
lyricism and delivery of frontman Johannes
Leppänen. Taking cues from acts like
The Who and The Smiths, French Films
deliver a solid collection of songs on
second album, White Orchid.
The limitations within the band’s sound
can sometimes be a strength, notably on
tracks like Where We Come From and Latter
Days, where the simplicity and catchiness
invoke old thoughts and memories. And,
as corny as a song like Special Shades
appears (‘I’m putting on my special shades/
And I see the light’), the droning bass and
affected vocals allow Leppänen’s cries to
cut through ideally.
Unfortunately, French Films’ inability
to expand their sound means that when
they try (Into Thousand Years), the chord
structures often feel awkward and
disjointed. And the lack of invention
throughout has the potential to lose its
charm after 11 songs. But if you can see
past that, a stack of fun and nostalgia
awaits with White Orchid.
Sam Reynolds

Justin Vernon is showing no sign of
disappearing with the release of Volcano
Choir’s second album Repave. With a track
list resembling the names of Middle Earth
elves, meticulously brooding cover art and
the quietly ominous sounds of an organ
providing the first impressions of Repave,
it strikes that Vernon, who upholds a Jesuslike status in the indie world, is one of the
only musicians who can get away with such
a grandiose approach to an album.
Relying heavily on gradual builds and
crashing, emotional climaxes, the album
requires a certain level of patience from
the get-go. This is rewarded by the swirling
drama of the ambient, reverb-drenched
mid section. Byegone and Alaskans plunge
you into a pool of Vernon’s syrupy falsetto
and majestic yet understated melodies,
while more upbeat moments as seen in
Dancepack boast rolling, heavy drums and
booming vocals.
Lyrics soaking in blunt wit juxtapose
the softness on Reprave. Delivered by
Vernon with such a nonchalant, almost
sleazy air (no doubt inherited from former
collaborator Kanye), they successfully tone
down the album’s overall melancholy vibe.
Repave provides a pleasant surprise for
sceptics of Vernon’s work since Bon Iver’s
revered For Emma, Forever Ago.
Bella Fowler

with these guys that people don’t come just for
the band anymore, they come for the 100 percent
guarantee of a freaking good time and the expert
musical display on stage is just an added bonus, the
barbecue sauce to the onion ring. The band have
no shame in playing the songs that people want
to hear, not to mention they appear to be having
a hell of a time whilst doing it, making it just that
much more enjoyable. For such an excessive tour, a
somewhat extensive 80 shows across four continents,
morale and energy were at an all time high.
They were rolling with the themes of the Steal
The Light artwork in terms of décor, with giant cat
cut-outs lurking about the stage. To the uninitiated
fans it may have appeared like a commercial for
Friskees cat food. I hear that stuff is delicious.
There always seems to be an underlying battle
of the frontman between Felix and Harry, a bit of
Britney Vs Madonna, Batman Vs Robin, Ben Vs
Jerry. You get the idea. With Felix’s slick moves,
incredibly smooth vocals versus Harry’s expert
vocal gymnastics, the battle rests as a draw as these
two souls equally contribute their little slice to
make up what is the most delicious Cat Empire pie.
As the final song erupted into an orgasmic
explosion, the doors swung open and concert
goers poured out, gasping for their share of
some frosty spring air, leaving the floorboards
rumbling with nothing but the memories of an
unbelievable evening.

Benjalu
The Battle EP
(Independent)

AAA
The music of Benjalu is likely to
excite fans of The Beautiful Girls,
Xavier Rudd and John Butler Trio,
to name but a few. All of these acts
are stand-out influences on the latest
EP for the five-piece, The Battle. This
seven-track release demonstrates
what the group does well, both in a
live setting and recorded form.
Slower moments like Rise And
Shine and Little Darling nicely
counteract the heavier moments of
The Battle, where it is clear that an
extensive touring schedule has made
them musically tighter. The lyricism
featured on this EP is nothing
exciting or insightful, but these songs
clearly aren’t meant to be anything
more than anthems for a surfing trip
to the coast. If that’s your thing, then
The Battle is for you.
Sam Reynolds

Ben Folds Five
Live
(Sony)

AAAA
When Brick first hit the airwaves I
was in middle school. I remember the
sombre tone of the song being offset
by a catchy chorus that had all the
tweens shrilly singing ‘Sheee’s a brick
and I’m drowning slowly!’ At the time,
the words had no intrinsic meaning,
and it wasn’t until much later that I
realised the song is about abortion,
which made the glee derived from
hearing it as a child seem twisted
and sadistic. This collection of songs
culled from the band’s most recent
world tour features all the sad and
depressing favourites you’re not
ashamed to sing aloud in public. Mr.
Folds even gives his former home of
Adelaide some love by including Sky
High and Song For The Dumped from
their Thebarton Theatre show. Live is
a worthy purchase for any fan.
Ryan Lynch
RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

29

Local //

with Alice Fraser

Email alicefraser@ripitup.com.au

Local News

Kate
n
e
r
o
L

Trinity Sessions
Hosts The Band
Tribute

allace
by Ilona W

Central-coaster-turned-Adelaidean Loren
Kate is out on tour in support of her new
album Moving On. With folk and country
influences, Kate’s music is sincere and
hardy, but capped with a sweet voice and
sensitive acoustic guitar.

Through friendly connections—and
chance meetings at house parties—
the 10-track record is dotted with
collaborations with talented musicians such
as Bill Chambers, Iain Grandage, Sarah
Humphreys and Trent Prees.
Lauded as a brilliant storyteller, Kate relies
heavily on her lyrical narratives. Speargrass,
the third track on the record, has its roots in
a particularly special place.
“I went on a trip through central Australia
with my partner and my baby, and we
stopped at Uluru. We found ourselves at
the women’s cave there,” Kate says. “It was
early in the morning and my daughter fell
asleep on me, and we just closed our eyes and

imagined what life would have been like for
these Aboriginal people living there, not that
long ago … Then we headed north towards
this place called Pine Creek—we’ve got some
friends who live completely self-sufficiently
out in the Northern Territory bush and their
property is called Speargrass. We lived off
the land with them for a few weeks and it just
really brought us back to what life is about.”
Kate’s career began with a soul-searching
journey too—heading to schoolies week
in Byron Bay and never coming home.
She explains that her time living with and
learning from backpackers helped her figure
out who she was, and also taught her to
play guitar. She never worries about baring
her soul too much in her music, saying that
the integrity of her sound is of the utmost
importance to her.
“I think if we can just shed our layers
and show our true selves and what we’re
going through, lots of people relate to that,”
she says. “That’s what I aim to do with my
music.”
One of the more personal tracks on the

album is a cover of Donovan’s Catch The
Wind. Her father, who passed away six years
ago, used to sing it to her when she was a
young girl.
“It actually wasn’t going to make it onto
the album,” Kate explains. “It was 11 o’clock
at night on the last day of recording and
Paul (McKercher, producer) said, ‘Is there
anything else you want to chuck on before we
finish?’ And I said, just one more—so we laid
down just one take of this song and it made
it onto the album.”
With help of an Arts SA grant, Kate has
planned a two-and-a-half month touring
adventure. She will be performing for two
nights in South Australia, with her final
show at the Wheatsheaf Hotel.
Who: Loren Kate
What: Moving On
When & where: Sun Sep 15 at The
Cheese Factory Gallery, Sun Sep 22 at
The Wheatsheaf Hotel.

Last Days Of Kali
Debut EP
Last Days Of Kali play a selfproclaimed style of indie doom. Over
the last year-and-a-half they have
shared the stage with the likes of
Mezzanine, Dead Owls, Drawn From
Bees, Aerials and locals, Sincerely
Grizzly. After a long recording
process, they’re set to release their
debut EP at the Crown & Anchor on
Fri Sep 13 with a stand out local lineup including Sparkspitter, Alpha Beta
Fox and Tiger Et Ghost.
With a teaser track up now on their
Bandcamp, we suggest you should
go lose yourself for three minutes in
their instrumental post rock world
and imagine that during this time you
are Kali – goddess of time, change and
destruction.

30

RipITUPMAGAZINE//ripitup.com.au

With a line-up boasting the who’s
who of the Adelaide folk and roots
scene, together Trinity Sessions are
performing a special one off concert
to raise funds for Lifeline SA. With
performances by The Yearlings, The
Timbers, Halfway to Forth, Joe Man
Murphy, Richard Coates and Tara
Carragher, The Hushes, members of
the Huckleberry Swedes and more,
they will be paying homage to the
timeless sounds of The Band. All
show funds are donated to the cause,
so head to Trinity Sessions on Sun
Sep 15 from 5pm for a show that will
take you back to 1976 and The Band’s
infamous farewell concert, The Last
Waltz.

Olivers Army
Launch 'Golden
Tree'
Hailing from the Barossa Valley, in
2013 front man Ryan Oliver relocated
to Melbourne and formed a band with
former Adelaide musical comrades
Tom Krieg and James Roberts
(The Battery Kids), Gina Somfleth
(Menagerie) and Sam Billinghurst
Walsh ( James McCann, Peter Ewing,
Ruth Lindsey). With a new lineup,
they are heading out on a national
tour in support of their new single,
Golden Tree. The band makes their way
to Adelaide for a homecoming show on
Sat Sep 21 at Rhino Room. The show
is a main support for Sydney folksters,
Tigertown and is sure to be a sell out!
Tickets via Moshtix.